Press Releases

New partnership opens up a fast-growing addressable market for Tata Communications and Constantin Medien in content distribution, management, storage and computing across Germany, Austria and Switzerland

London, UK – November 9, 2016

Tata Communications, a leading provider of A New World of Communications™, and Constantin Medien, an international media company specialising in sports, entertainment and event marketing today announce the creation of a new media hub in Germany. It will offer content delivery, management, storage and computing services for businesses in media, sports, gaming and music industries across German speaking countries in Europe.

This deal enables Tata Communications to target media customers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria by using Constantin Medien as its preferred channel to these markets, and to offer Constantin Medien’s full service portfolio to its media customers around the world through the new media hub. In addition, Constantin Medien has chosen Tata Communications as its preferred provider for network and cloud infrastructure solutions.

“The combined TV and OTT market across Germany, Austria and Switzerland is headed for strong growth in the next five years. We’re truly in a golden age of TV, and many consumers are accessing content in a myriad of different ways from traditional distribution to online services. The number of German-speaking consumers paying for TV and online services such as Netflix, Amazon and many others is set to increase from 35 million in 2016 to over 40 million come 2020. Ovum believes the premise of live-streaming of TV through online services will lead to a further increase in TV content consumption, particularly as consumers begin to watch TV on the go.”

-Tony Gunnarsson, senior analyst, TV & OTT, Ovum

Content by customers of PLAZAMEDIA, an affiliate of Constantin Medien, will be distributed from the media hub using Tata Communications’ Video Connect network, which allows the seamless delivery of live video feeds from anywhere in the world, over the largest, wholly-owned subsea fibre network anywhere, delivering connectivity to over 240 countries and territories. PLAZAMEDIA is one of the leading content solution providers in production for the entire spectrum of media platforms, as well as an established TV producer in German-speaking markets.

To facilitate the management of increasing volumes of content for media companies, the new media hub will use Tata Communications’ IZO™ Private Cloud and IZO™ Cloud Storage services. PLAZAMEDIA will also resell these cloud infrastructure, compute and storage services to its customers. To ensure data sovereignty, Tata Communications will deploy a new IZO™ Private Cloud node in Munich, Germany. Additionally, Tata Communications will build a new connectivity hub in PLAZAMEDIA’s data centre in Ismaning, Germany.

“As viewers’ hunger for rich, immersive and on-demand content continues to grow, broadcasters and content creators everywhere are under increasing pressure to innovate,” said Brian Morris, General Manager of Tata Communications’ Media and Entertainment Services business. “Harnessing our unparalleled global reach and media industry expertise will strengthen the portfolio of services that PLAZAMEDIA is able to provide to its customers. Through this partnership, we’re also well-placed to offer an extended range of Constantin Medien’s services to our customers, spurring the growth of our media and entertainment business globally.”

Fred Kogel, CEO of Constantin Medien AG, said: “This deal with Tata Communications is a fundamental cornerstone within the digital transformation of PLAZAMEDIA, enabled by global connectivity and the cloud. The partnership puts us in the unique position of acting as a preferred reseller of those services to other media companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It will strengthen our position as a truly indispensable partner for media companies, and open up new revenue opportunities through global content contribution and distribution.”

About Constantin Medien AG

Constantin Medien AG is an internationally operating media company based in Ismaning near Munich and is focused on the Segment Sports and, via its holding in the listed Swiss media company Highlight Communications AG, on the Segments Film as well as Sports- and Event-Marketing.

The Sports Segment covers the und the 360°multimedia sports plattform SPORT1 the activities in the TV sector with the free-TV channel SPORT1 and the pay-TV channels SPORT1+ as well as SPORT1 US. In addition, the online portal SPORT1.de, the mobile SPORT1 applications, the Socials Media channels as well as the digital sports radio SPORT1.fm belong to the portfolio under the SPORT1 umbrella brand. Sport1 Media is the multiplatform marketer for the various offers of SPORT1. PLAZAMEDIA is a further major Group subsidiary and offers comprehensive services in the field of production together with its subsidiaries in Austria and Switzerland.

The Film Segment combines the activities of Constantin Film AG, the most important independent German producer of theatrical films, and their subsidiaries in Germany and abroad as well as the Highlight Communications holdings Rainbow Home Entertainment, distributor of home entertainment rights of in house and licensed titles. Constantin Film group also creates fictional and non-fictional productions for German and foreign TV stations.

The Segment Sports- and Event-Marketing includes the activities of Team Holding AG (TEAM) and its subsidiaries, specialising in the global marketing of international major sports events. Being one of the world’s leading agencies in this field, it exclusively markets on behalf of the European Football Association (UEFA), the UEFA Champions League as well as the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup.

About PLAZAMEDIA GmbH

PLAZAMEDIA GmbH, a subsidiary of Constantin Medien AG, is an established content solution provider in production for the entire spectrum of media platforms, as well as one of the leading producers of sports TV in the German-speaking area. PLAZAMEDIA’s clients inculde public and commercial broadcasters, platform operators, international and reputable sports associations and rights agencies as well as numerous national and international enterprises. Operating independently of broadcasters on both a media-neutral and platform-neutral basis, the group offers a diverse service portfolio ranging from the production and presentation of premium live sports events with large-scale, emotional images and scalable solutions in suitably high quality, as well as innovative camera and production technology, to editing, archiving and target-group oriented content distribution across all media platforms. In addition, its wholly-owned subsidiary LEITMOTIF Creators GmbH, a consulting agency, specialising in design and implementation of content marketing strategy solutions in video format, creates and realises visual experiences for companies and brands in the sports, event and entertainment sectors.

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About Tata Communications

Tata Communications Limited (CIN no: L64200MH1986PLC039266) along with its subsidiaries (Tata Communications) is a leading global provider of A New World of Communications™. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.

The Tata Communications global network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks and a Tier-1 IP network with connectivity to over 240 countries and territories across 400 PoPs, as well as nearly 1 million square feet of data centre and collocation space worldwide.

Tata Communications’ depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services and leadership in global international voice. Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.

Forward-looking and cautionary statements

Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications Limited’s Annual Reports. The Annual Reports of Tata Communications Limited are available at www.tatacommunications.com. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.